• ESSEC’s learning-by-doing approach ensures students have relevant experience.
• Projects offer invaluable insights into the luxury field.
• ESSEC brand name recognized by industry leaders.

Good grades will only get one so far in securing a position at one of the global luxury fashion houses. To stand out from the sea of applicants, one must also demonstrate a passion for and understanding of the sector’s operation.

This is where the ESSEC MSc in Marketing Management and Digital (MMD) graduates like Ziyang Wang and Camille Dambre from the class of 2021 have been able to shine—securing themselves internships at Christian Dior and Hermes, respectively.

Learning-by-doing Builds Credibility

They share that this is because the opportunities to work with ESSEC industry partners on real-world projects have helped them develop a portfolio of relevant experience.

Partner companies change each year, and the 2021 cohort worked on digital strategies for brands like Vacheron Constantin and Cartier during their annual Digital Marketing Challenge (DMC), supported the creation of a marketing campaign for Tiffany & Co. during their luxury brand management module, and even planned the design of a pop-up store with the Macallan in a retail management class.

Ziyang testifies that the process was no different from real-world work. “After getting the brief from the brand, we worked in groups to design a proposal from scratch, which ultimately gave me an insight into the whole project process and was very helpful for my future career development,” she says.

Insights and Experiences Impress Interviewers

She elaborates: “I used these opportunities to learn more about brand stories and marketing strategies used in various luxury goods categories and discovered I was most interested in luxury couture.”

When job interviews began, she was able to share insights from these projects and clearly explain the reasons behind her interest in luxury—ultimately impressing her interviewers at Christian Dior.

The 2021 cohort also had the opportunity to network and learn about the natural world at Business Week. Camille adds that this four-day conference brought in senior executives from tech, luxury, consulting, and more to share insights about different industries.

As part of the organizing committee, Camille honed her event management and marketing skills. She gained the advantage of meeting and hosting senior executives she invited to the conference. These all formed valuable talking points during her job interviews.

“Business Week, along with the DMC and luxury brand module projects, are part of why I chose to come to ESSEC,” she says. “They have enabled me to network with people from great companies, which I believe can support me in the future.”

ESSEC Network an Asset

Camille notes that simply coming from ESSEC Business School was also a benefit, enabling her to efficiently fulfill the visa requirements to intern in Singapore. Her goal is to work for a multinational company in a role that handles digital marketing, e-commerce, or visual merchandising, and she believes the experience in Singapore will offer her the Asian expertise she needs to take on the global world in the future.

In addition, Ziyang recalls how internships she applied for on external job sites had hundreds of applicants competing with her, and only one company responded.

In contrast, chatting with recruiters at ESSEC’s career events and tapping on the ESSEC alumni network scored her at least three interviews. In fact, her position at Dior was only available via ESSEC’s internal career website.

“I’m grateful to Career Services for going out of their way to help me during my job applications, to Professor Sonja Prokopec for writing my letter of recommendation, and to the ESSEC community and alumni for providing me with the opportunities to get where I am today,” she declares.

Her advice to future MMD students? Be determined, brave, and confident. “Seize the opportunities offered, be open to networking, and build strong relationships at ESSEC Asia-Pacific.”